Already Gone
by musical-fi
Summary: Lin and Noatak had a relationship in the past. Now, in present LOK, how will she react when she finds out the man she once loved is the man she resents the most? Will she find some way to forgive him? LIMON!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, so I'm taking a break from linzin to post this Limon story that I wrote for my IG account. My good friends Sumira, Grace, and Lin have an inside joke about Limon so i decided to write a fanfic about them. Here's the result: **

Lin was sitting in the back of her cell when he arrived. She heard the door creak open, but she refused to look up, figuring it was just another Equalist coming to taunt her.

"Hello Lin."

A gasp escaped her lips as she recognized the voice. Looking up her eyes met the dark eyes of the man standing before her. He looked exactly the same from the last time she saw him with his black hair and charming smile.

"Noatak?"

Noatak gave her a weak smile as he stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him.

"You're Amon?" Lin demanded, getting a nod in return.

"Lin, I'm so sorry. I had to do what I could to create my revolution."

"But... why?" She snapped.

"Why a revolution in the first place? Why take my bending? Why deprive me of the only connection to my mother?"

Noatak sighed.

"I was trying not to become my father, but yet I still became his puppet for his revenge." He paused.

"I'm so sorry, Lin. I didn't want this to happen to you. But you kept getting in my way. I had to do it to protect myself, and you."

Lin felt his hand cover hers. She wanted to pull away, but allowed his hand to remain there.

"Can you forgive me?"

Memories began to return to Noatak because of the question. The first time he had returned to Republic City, he had gone out to a bar to drink. At 25, he was trying to find a place in the world to create his revolution. To him, Republic City seemed like his best bet.

That's when he saw her.

She was sitting at a counter all alone. Her back was turned to him, but he could see her long ebony hair that spilled down her back like ink. Somehow, he found the courage to approach her. Taking a seat next to her, he mustered up a "Hello."

She looked at him with her sorrow-filled green eyes. He almost flinched at the radiance of sadness that she gave off. Glaring at him, she turned away, taking another swig of her drink. Noatak observed the amount of empty shot glasses that covered the counter space in front of her. Her cheeks were red from all the alcohol she had consumed. He watched her down two more glasses before she stood up. After slamming a few yuans down on the table, she stumbled her way through the bar and out the door.

"Go after her." The bartender said. "She needs someone, even if she won't admit it."

"What happened to her that forced her to drink so much?"

"You didn't hear? The Avatar's youngest son dumped her. They had been best friends all their lives and dating for multiple years. She just found out that he's getting married."

Noatak sighed, realizing that she too had been affected by the Avatar in some way, just like his father. She was a victim as much as Noatok was.

Nodding to the bartender, he went after the drunk woman. He saw her about to fall and quickly he ran up and caught her before she hit the ground. Once she realized that he was helping her stand, she tried to shrug him off.

"I don't need your help."

Her words were a mass of slurred jumbles that he barely understood.

"Yes you do." he replied, scooping her into his arms.

"Just let me help."

She stopped fighting against him and allowed him to carry her. With her slurred directions, they arrived at her apartment. He opened the door and carried her into the bedroom. Gently laying her on the bed, he found that she was asleep. He stood over her, observing her. Her skin was pale with red cheeks from the alcohol. Her dark hair was long and curly, spread out across the pillow. Her cheekbones were high and crafted perfectly. She looked beautiful. He didn't understand why anyone would ever want to dump her.

He left the room in search of a pen and paper. Scribbling her a note, he reentered her room and placed it on the stand. Leaning down, he placed a quick kiss against her cheek before leaving the apartment.

The next day, he returned to her apartment to see if she was okay. Letting himself in, he walked towards the bedroom and knocked on the door. Opening it, he saw her laying in bed, her eyes opened.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her.

"Like a million yuans." she replied with much sarcasm.

He cracked a smile.

"I'm assuming you're my knight in shining armor?"

"That's me."

"Why?" She asked. "Why did you help me?"

"You looked like you needed help."

"I never need help." She said sternly.

"Never say never." He replied.

Pausing, he asked, "What's your name?"

"Beifong, Lin Beifong. And you?"

"I'm Noatak."

They became fast friends after that. A few weeks after the night in the bar, Noatak had the audacity to kiss Lin. He was shocked when she kissed him back. That night, they made love for the first time. After a two month relationship, Noatak decided that he needed to start planning out his revolution. He didn't want Lin to get hurt, so he left her without an explanation or even a goodbye. Now, he felt awful about everything. He had entered her life to comfort and protect her. Now, because of him, she was broken and battered even more, without her bending. Despite everything, he was still in love with her, even now.

"I don't know," Lin answered his question. "You took away my bending, my only connection to my mother. You broke my heart, left me when I needed you most. Why?"

"I didn't want you getting hurt."

"Well that didn't work out, huh?"

"Lin, I'm so sorry." Noatak apologized.

Pausing, he said,

"There is a way to get your bending back though."

Lin's face lit up.

"What? How?"

"My brother and I are going into hiding. You can come with us. There's this place where we're going where you can get your bending back."

"But Noatak..."

"There's nothing for you in the city anymore Lin. You could go with me and we'll start over. It can be just like the good old days."

He paused to touch her scarred face.

"The truth is I still love you, Lin. Always have, always will. It was wrong of me to do these things to you. Please. Give me another chance."

Lin closed her eyes and sighed.

"I... I can't. I belong here, in Republic City. It's my duty to say here, bending or no bending."

"But Lin..."

"Noatak, I love you too, but I have to stay."

After a minute, Noatak nodded slowly.

"I understand. I'm so sorry, Lin."

Lin blinked away her tears.

"I forgive you." She whispered.

Noatak slowly leaned forward and kissed her. He always had loved the feel of Lin's soft plump lips against his. His hand clutched her cheek, deepening the kiss.

After a minute, they pulled apart and he looked at her sadly.

"Goodbye, Lin."

With that, he stood and left her alone in the room, leaving the cell door open for her to go free. Lin sat there dumbfounded, trying to decide whether or not she had made the right choice.

Suddenly, she stood and raced out the door, calling out his name. However, he was long gone. She stood in the hallway feeling awful. She heard someone calling her name, but she didn't register it until she saw Tenzin running towards her.

"LIN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" She looked at him, shook her head, and buried her face in his chest before letting the tears fall.

* * *

Noatak stood at the front of the motor boat, looking out into the water. Once he had left Lin, he and Tarrlok had escaped by boat. Now, as they sped away from the city, he felt like a new man. With Equalist weapons packed in the back with his brother, he would create a new revolution elsewhere. Republic City was still out of sorts and by creating havoc somewhere else, he would bring bending to its knees.

"The two of us together again. There's nothing we can't do."

"Yes Noatak." Tarrlok replied.

"Noatak." I chuckled. "I had almost forgotten the sound of my own name."

No one had ever used his name besides Lin today. It made him feel like himself again, rather then Amon. Looking out on the water, all he could think about was Lin. He had made her life awful because of his actions. One day, he would go back for her. Until then, however, he'd pray to the Spirits that she would get her bending back.

"It'll be just like the good old days." Tarrlok's words mimicked what Noatak had said to Lin earlier.

The good old days.

Lin and him walking through the Republic City park. The kisses they shared. The laughs, the tears, all of it was Lin. He would always love her. A tear drifted down his cheek just before the boat exploded, killing them instantly.

Lin never heard from Noatak again, but true to her word, she still loved him.

**Hope you enjoy it! Lemme know what you thought! THERE WILL BE A PART 2! I'll post it later hopefully. Be sure to review, and until next time, stay classy Linzin (Limon?) fans! **


	2. Chapter 2

Lin was lying on her bed staring up at the ceiling. Korra had restored her bending a few hours ago and Katara had ordered everyone to go to bed after dinner. No that Lin objected. She was completely exhausted after the days events. However, she found that she was unable to fall asleep at first. Her thoughts were out of control, thinking about Noatak and the conversation they had shared earlier. He still loved her, after all these years. But then why had he left her that day? It was Tenzin all over again. Spirits, why was her love life so complicated?  
Sighing she thought about her decision to stay behind. Would it have been better for her to have gone with him?  
No. He was probably lying about getting her bending restored. After all, he was the one who took it from her in the first place. And by staying, she had gotten her bending back. But if there were legitimate reasons on her decision, why was the feeling of regret hanging over her? It was all so confusing? Did she still love him? Did she make the right decison?  
Sighing, she reached over and turned off the light. Burying her face into the pillow, she finally found comfort in sleep and drifted beneath its merciful waves of darkness.

* * *

Lin stood in a field surrounded by flowers. It seemed to extend on forever in a sea of green, white, and yellow. The sky above her was crystal blue with a few drifting clouds. She gazed around in confusion, trying to make sense of her whereabouts.  
Turning she was shocked to see Noatak walking towards her. A gasp escaped Lin's mouth as she ran towards him. Throwing her arms around his neck, she held him close and buried her face into his chest.  
"Lin," He whispered, clutching her tightly to him.  
"Noatak,"  
They stayed that way for a minute or two before Lin came back to her senses.  
"Noatak?" She pulled away from him. "What are you doing here? Where are we? How..."  
She froze as she finally observed him properly. There was a light blue aura surrounding him, making him give off a dim glow of light.  
"No, you're..."  
He nodded sadly.  
"H..how?"  
"Tarrlock blew up our escape boat. The explosion killed us both."  
"But, why?"  
"He didn't want us to continue to be Yakone's puppets anymore. He was putting an end to the revolution."  
"Were you planning on continuing it?" Lin demanded.  
"I don't know, Lin!" Noatak stated. "I had to spread equality. If bending continues, people will become its slaves, just like my father did. He used it to oppress people. Then Aang used it to oppress my father. I just want it all to stop."  
She watched as tears began to leak from his eyes.  
"I realized how much bending means to you." He continued. "I didn't understand before, but now I do. Before, I just wanted to protect you from bending because I thought that it was the cause of all the misfortune in everyone's lives. But I was wrong. So wrong."  
Lin placed a hand on his glowing cheek. It felt cold to her.  
"It's okay. I understand why you did it. You were trying to protect people from what you thought was evil." She paused. "But it's okay. Korra restored my bending."  
Noatak gave her a weak smile.  
"That's great, Lin. I'm really happy for you."  
Lin sighed quietly, her hand falling slowly away from his cheek.  
'I'm so sorry that this happened to you." She whispered.  
"It's what I deserve after what I did to you. Aang was kind enough to allow me to see you one more time before I officially crossover. Once I do, I will take my punishment for my crimes without a complaint."  
They were silent for a bit before Lin said,  
"That night we first met... the night in the bar..."  
"Yes?"  
"Why did you go after me?"  
Noatak sighed, closing his eyes.  
"The bartender told me how Tenzin broke up with you. I felt like I knew exactly how you felt. The Avatar tore my family apart. His legacy tore you away from Tenzin. We were both victims to our legacies, as well as our own. You were Chief of Police, following in the footsteps of your mother. And me, well, you already know." He paused to look up at her. "And I cared so much. I saw how much you needed someone. And i guess I really needed someone too. So I ran after you."  
He chuckled.  
"Plus, I thought you were beautiful from the moment I saw you."  
Lin felt her cheeks turn pink, before her face switched back to sorrow.  
"Then why did you leave?"  
"I was starting up my revolution plans. I knew that you not only were the Chief of Police, but a bender. I didn't want you to get hurt."  
She nodded, slowly taking in his words.  
Noatak reached out his hand to brush a stray strand of hair from her face before he touched her scarred cheek gently.  
"Spirits, I'm going to miss you so much."  
He pulled her into a hug and held her close. Lin felt tears in her eyes as she returned the embrace.  
"I'm sorry I left you, Lin." Noatak said softly. "Can you ever forgive me?"  
Lin lifted her head to look up at him.  
"I already have," She replied before pressing her lips against his.  
Noatak's fingers brushed through her grey hair and behind her, where he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck while his other hand gripped her waist/ She pulled away long enough to whisper,  
"I love you,"  
"I love you too," He replied before closing the gap between them again.  
Soon, he broke away and looked down at her sadly.  
"My time here is almost up." He said.  
Lin sighed, tears escaping her eyes to drift slowly down her cheeks.  
"I don't want you to go."  
"I know, but everything will be just fine. I promise."  
He kissed her one last time before he stepped away from her, his hand still in hers.  
"Goodbye, Lin," He said, sadly, his hand dropping away from hers.

* * *

Lin opened her eyes. She was back in her room, staring up at the ceiling. Breathing heavily, she recalled what had just happened. Noatak was dead. She took a deep breath, trying to hold her tears in. He was gone, but he still loved her. And she still loved him. Somehow, the person that she resented the most turned out to be the man that she had once loved, and still did. However, it was Amon that had corrupted his mind and taken away her bending. The man behind the mask was not who he pretended to be He was Noatak, a kind, caring person with a difficult past, but a big heart. He was trying to protect the ones he cared about, without realizing that he was causing more harm than good. And she was the person he was trying to help the most. She was his significant other. Because of that, she found it in her heart to forgive him.  
There were many men who came and went through Lin Beifong's life. However, there were very few that made such a lasting impression. These were the men that she would always cherish in her heart, even if they had moved on. Noatak was one of these men.

**Well here ya go. Part 2! So part of me wants to continue this story, but I'm not sure how to. I mean, I could do past Limon moments. Lemme know what you think! Until next time, stay classy Linzin (Limon) shippers! **


End file.
